California wildfires: Top 10 deadliest, most destructive blazes in state history

The Camp Fire burns along a ridgetop near Big Bend, Calif., on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

It happened again.

The Camp Fire in Butte County surged to the top of the Californian record books as the deadliest and most destructive blaze in state history this past weekend, following a recent trend of record-setting infernos in just the last two years.

As of the latest count, the Camp Fire is responsible for 42 deaths and incinerating more than 7,177 buildings and homes.

Fires in California are getting larger and deadlier, experts said, as human-caused global warming and years of drought have dried out the state’s vegetation. Notable infernos like the Tubbs, Carr and Mendocino Complex fires repeatedly appear on the state’s Department of Fire and Forestry Protection lists for largest disasters.

Suppression costs have steadily increased as well over the last two decades, and Cal Fire officials project that the agency spent a staggering $773 million fighting fires during the 2017-2018 fiscal year.

Below are the top 10 fires in California history based on fatalities, structures destroyed and acres burned:

A hotshot firefighter watches as the Camp Fire burns off of Pentz Road in Paradise, California, on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

Most Deadly Wildfires

1. Camp Fire (2018) - 42 as of Nov. 12, 2018

2. Griffith Park Fire (1933) - 29

3. Tunnel Fire (1991) - 25

4. Tubbs Fire (2017) - 22

5. Cedar Fire (2003) - 15

6. Rattlesnake Fire (1953) - 15

7. Loop Fire (1966) - 12

8. Hauser Creek (1943) - 11

9. Inaja (1956) - 11

10. Iron Alps Complex (2008) - 10

In this Oct. 17, 2017 file photo, PG&E crews work on Vintage Circle in the heart of in the Fountaingrove neighborhood, destroyed by the Tubbs Fire.

Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

Most Destructive Wildfires by Structures Burned

1. Camp Fire (2018) - 7,177

2. Tubbs Fire (2017) - 5,636

3. Tunnel Fire (1991) - 2,900

4. Cedar Fire (2003) - 2,820

5. Valley Fire (2015) - 1,955

6. Witch Fire (2007) - 1,650

7. Carr Fire (2018) - 1,604

8. Nuns Fire (2017) - 1,355

9. Thomas Fire (2017) - 1,063

10. Old Fire (2003) - 1,003

In this Aug. 5, 2018 file photo, the Ranch Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex Fire, crests a ridge as Battalion Chief Matt Sully directs firefighting operations on High Valley Rd. near Clearlake Oaks, California.

Photo: NOAH BERGER / AFP/Getty Images

Largest Wildfires by Acres

1. Mendocino Complex Fire (2018) - 459,123

2. Thomas Fire (2017) - 281,893

3. Cedar Fire (2003) - 273,246

4. Rush Fire (2012) - 271.911 in California, 43,666 in Nevada

5. Rim Fire (2013) - 257,314

6. Zaca Fire (2007) - 240,207

7. Carr Fire (2018) - 229,651

8. Matilija (1932) - 220,000

9. Witch Creek Fire (2007) - 197,990

10. Klamath Theater Complex (2008) - 192,038

Below are more details on 10 of the worst fires in California history:

As of Monday evening, the California Department of Fire and Forestry Protection, or Cal Fire, reported 42 people killed, 117,000 acres burned and 7,177 structures destroyed in the now-deadliest fire in state history. On Monday, 4,555 fire personnel were battling the conflagration near Chico, and the blaze is expected to be fully contained by Nov. 30.

Parker Hill Road (left) and the Courts at Crown Hill Drive, Thursday, March 22, 2018, in Santa Rosa, Calif. The area was devastated by last year's Tubbs Fire.

Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

Tubbs Fire, 2017 (Napa and Sonoma counties)

The deadly Tubbs Fire was the most destructive in state history until the Camp Fire roared to life on Thursday, killing 22 and burning 26,807 acres in North Bay. It began Oct. 8, 2017 in Calistoga and leveled entire neighborhoods in Santa Rosa, destroying 5,636 structures.

In this Oct. 20, 1991 file photo, an aerial drop of fire retardant tries to slow the roaring Oakland hills firestorm known as the Tunnel Fire.

Photo: BRANT WARD / SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

Tunnel Fire, 1991 (Alameda County)

Flames spread over five square miles in the Oakland Hills after embers reignited from an almost-extinguished brush fire the day prior. The Tunnel Fire burned approximately 2,900 structures and killed 25 people, according to Cal Fire.

In this Oct. 29, 2003 file photo, Skip Cabel, a fire chief with the California Department of Forestry, watches the Cedar fire near Julian, Calif. move past a home.

Photo: PAUL H NILSON / AP

Cedar Fire, 2003 (San Diego County)

A lost deer hunter started one of the largest and deadliest conflagrations in state history, which killed 15 people and burned down 2,820 buildings. It held the state record for largest wildfire at 273,246 acres until the Thomas Fire a decade later.

In this Jan, 7, 2016 file photo, a CalRecycle worker cleans up a home site destroyed by the Valley Fire on Humboldt Drive in Cobb, California.

Photo: Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

Valley Fire, 2015 (Lake County)

In 2015, the Valley Fire became one of the most damaging fires on state record, burning 1,955 structures and 197,990 acres. Four people died as the blaze ravaged the towns of Cobb and Middletown in Lake County, according to Cal Fire.

FILE - In this Friday, July 27, 2018, file photo, homes leveled by the Carr Fire line the Lake Keswick Estates area of Redding, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

Photo: Noah Berger / Associated Press

Carr Fire, 2018 (Trinity and Shasta counties)

Firefighters spent almost six weeks in July and August trying to put out the Carr Fire, which was sparked by a broken-down trailor near Redding. The blaze went on to burn 1,604 buildings and 229,651 acres. The fire’s bizarre behavior, including the most intense fire tornado in state history, killed seven, including a firefighter.

In this Dec. 9, 2017 file photo, a fire engine passes flames as a wildfire burns along Santa Ana Road near Ventura, Calif. Southern California Edison said Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018, its equipment likely sparked one of two ignition points for the Thomas Fire, a wildfire that tore through California's central coast last year.

Photo: Noah Berger / Associated Press

Thomas Fire, 2017 (Ventura and Santa Barbara counties)

The 281,893-acre Thomas Fire ended 2017 as the largest wildfire in Californian history, but it topped half a year later by the Mendocino Complex fires. One fleeing civilian and a firefighter died during the blaze, which also destroyed 1,063 structures in the coastal communities.

Firefighters monitor a backfire while battling the Ranch Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex Fire, on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, near Ladoga, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Photo: Noah Berger / Associated Press

Mendocino Complex, 2018 (Colusa, Glenn, Lake and Mendocino counties)

While the Mendocino Complex — made up the Ranch and River fires — doesn’t land on the state’s top 20 list for most destructive wildfires, it still stands as the largest fire in state history at 459,123 acres burned.

In this Oct. 26, 2007 file photo, a person walks down a street littered with burned-out mobile homes in Fallbrook, California. The Witch Fire, which started outside of Ramona, California, burned hundreds of structures and forced thousands of evacuations as fires raged across the state.

Gusts up to 45 mph spurred on the Nuns Fire in Sonoma County to kill three and raze 1,355 structures. A fallen tree combusted after coming into contact with an energized power line, Cal Fire investigators said.

Gwendolyn Wu is a reporter who covers breaking news in San Francisco. Prior to joining the Chronicle staff, she wrote for the Santa Barbara Independent and San Francisco magazine. She is originally from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, and graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2018. Wu is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association. Her interests include testing new recipes and exploring used bookstores.